Tag: China News

China Emerging as One of the Key Foreign Investors in Indonesia’s New Capital City

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JAKARTA —  Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, is overcrowded, polluted, prone to earthquakes and often described as the world’s fastest sinking city, due to groundwater extraction and climate change. All that, plus the government’s interest in distributing opportunity and wealth more equitably among the nation’s 1,700 islands, contributed to President Joko Widodo’s announcement in August 2019 of plans to move the capital from the island of Java to the island of Borneo and create a smart, “sustainable forest city” — Nusantara. In this NASA Earth Observatory satellite image taken in April 2022,…

China Ends 30-Year Tradition: Premier’s Annual Press Conference

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BEIJING —  China has scrapped one of the most widely-followed events on its economic and policy calendar, the premier’s post-parliament news conference, a move seen by some observers as a sign of the country’s increasingly inward focus and centralized control. For three decades, during a period when China was opening up, the briefing had offered foreign investors and governments insights into how Chinese policymakers regard the challenges of managing what is now the world’s second-largest economy. In a surprise announcement Monday, a spokesperson said China’s Premier Li Qiang will not…

Can Journalism Survive in Hong Kong?

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Hong Kong —  In a newsroom, editors tell reporters to not touch politically sensitive stories. Reporters are told to put stories on hold until China’s foreign ministry comes out with its statement. Terminology that the government might frown upon is banned from news copy. Such is the state of journalism, not just in China, but increasingly in Hong Kong, after a national security law was adopted by Beijing for the former British colony in 2020, according to local journalists. “Sometimes we don’t feel like we’re journalists. We’re simply a part…

What to Watch for at China’s High-Profile Meetings

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BEIJING —  One burning issue dominates as the 2024 session of China’s legislature gets underway this week: the economy. The National People’s Congress annual meeting, which opens Tuesday, is being closely watched for any signals on what the ruling Communist Party might do to reenergize an economy that is sagging under the weight of expanded government controls and the bursting of a real-estate bubble. That is not to say that other issues won’t come up. Proposals to raise the retirement age are expected to be a hot topic, the state-owned…

Former Bank of Beijing Chairman Under Corruption Probe in China Crackdown 

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BEIJING —  The former chairman of the state-owned Bank of Beijing is under investigation for corruption, the latest in a series of graft investigations focused on the country’s financial sector. Yan Bingzhu, who led the bank since its establishment in 1996 and until he retired in 2017, is among several top officials being probed for “seriously violating discipline and the law,” according to a notice published on the city of Beijing’s official website Friday. He is the latest official to be probed for graft as part of President Xi Jinping’s…

China Faces Big Hurdles as It Opens Key Legislative Session

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China on Monday opens its so-called Two Sessions gathering, one of Beijing’s highest-profile annual political events. Although carefully scripted, the meeting will provide important signals about Chinese policy plans. However, the proceedings may be overshadowed by a long list of challenges facing China, reports VOA’s Bill Gallo, who will attend the event. Voice of America

US Lawmaker Flags Surge in Tax-Free Imports From China

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washington —  A key U.S. lawmaker highlighted Friday the “shocking” rise in imports under a trade exemption for small packages, amid heightened scrutiny on Chinese-founded online retailers Shein and Temu. Both platforms, known for selling items at low prices, have been said to use a rule that allows products to enter the country duty-free via shipments valued at less than $800. Some 1.05 billion shipments entered tax-free under the provision known as the de minimis exemption in 2023, said Mike Gallagher, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on…

Where Is China in the Red Sea Crisis?

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PENTAGON —  As Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen continue attacks on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, a coalition of about two dozen countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., has been working to secure the important waterway. About 15 commercial ships have been damaged by Houthi drones or missiles since mid-November, and the U.S. says there are now between four and eight coalition ships in the Red Sea on any given day to help protect international vessels. Last week the U.S. and British militaries launched their fourth combined…

Tuvaluan Leader Cites Loyalty, Democracy in Sticking With Taiwan

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MELBOURNE, Australia —  The new prime minister in the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu said on Friday his country shares democratic values with Taiwan and reaffirmed that his government would maintain diplomatic ties with Taipei, ruling out a shift to Beijing. Prime Minister Feleti Teo spoke to The Associated Press via Zoom, his first interview with international media since his government took office earlier this week. “Our ties with Taiwan are purely based on democratic principles, and they have been very loyal to us,” Teo said. Teo, a 61-year-old first-time…

For China, North Korea Is ‘Card to Play’ in Competition With US, Experts Say

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washington —  Beijing is unlikely to help Washington disrupt military cooperation between North Korea and Russia because China sees that move as undermining itself while bolstering U.S. goals in Europe and Asia, analysts said. “Given U.S. policy in Asia and Washington’s ongoing effort to contain Chinese power in the region, Beijing has no reason to assist the U.S., even indirectly, on one of its most top foreign policy priorities – a Russian defeat in Ukraine,” said Daniel DePetris, a fellow at Defense Priorities. “For China, North Korea is not a…